Riley Blake My Family Tree Wall Hanging - Downloadable PDF

Riley Blake My Family Tree Wall Hanging – Free Downloadable Quilting PDF Pattern

The Riley Blake My Family Tree Wall Hanging is a charming and deeply personal quilting project that results in a finished wall hanging measuring 36" x 54". Designed as a collaborative release by Riley Blake Designs and My Mind's Eye, this free downloadable PDF pattern invites quilters to create a meaningful heirloom piece that celebrates family heritage. At its heart is a large printed panel featuring an illustrated family tree, surrounded by patchwork borders made from coordinating fabric squares. The finished piece is equally suited to display in a living room, nursery, or family hallway.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a quilted wall hanging — a flat, decorative textile designed to be hung on a wall rather than used as a bed quilt. The design centers on the Cream Family Tree Panel (P9796 Cream), a printed fabric panel measuring approximately 24" x 43" that depicts a stylized tree with branches and designated spaces for family names. Two borders frame this panel: a narrow inner border and a wider outer border made from patchwork squares. The result is a structured, layered quilt with a personalized, heirloom quality.

Personalization Feature

One of the most distinctive elements of this pattern is its personalization step. Quilters are instructed to add their last name to the center of the panel and individual family members' names around the branches of the tree. This can be done using an archive quality pigment ink pen for a clean, permanent finish, or with embroidery floss for a more traditional, textured look. This step transforms the wall hanging from a decorative quilt into a lasting family keepsake.

Techniques Used

• Panel quilting – The design is built around a large pre-printed fabric panel, a technique that simplifies construction while delivering a visually complex result.
• Bordered quilt construction – Two distinct border rounds are sewn around the central panel, a classic quilting technique for framing a focal fabric.
• Patchwork border assembly – The outer border is constructed by sewing pre-cut 5" squares end-to-end, a straightforward strip-piecing method ideal for beginner and intermediate quilters.
• Quilt sandwich layering – The finished quilt top is layered with batting and a backing fabric before binding, following standard quilting construction.
• Binding – The quilt is finished with a traditional bound edge using strips cut from the Gray Branches (C9794 Gray) fabric.
• Hand lettering or embroidery – An optional but encouraged finishing technique for adding names to the panel using ink or thread.

Stitches and Sewing Details

• All piecing is sewn with a standard ¼" seam allowance, which is the quilting industry standard.
• Pieces are sewn with right sides together throughout, unless otherwise noted.
• Seams on the patchwork border strips are pressed in one direction for flat, consistent joins.
• Seams on the inner borders are pressed toward the borders to reduce bulk at the panel edges.
• If embroidery is chosen for personalization, basic hand embroidery stitches such as a backstitch or stem stitch are well suited for writing names in thread.

Materials and Fabric Requirements

This pattern is designed to coordinate with specific Riley Blake Designs fabrics, making it easy to shop for a cohesive look. The required materials include:

• 1 My Heritage 5" Stacker (5-9790-42) – A pre-cut bundle of 5" fabric squares used to construct the outer patchwork border. A total of 36 squares are selected from this bundle: 20 for the two side borders and 16 for the top and bottom borders.
• 5/8 yard of Gray Branches (C9794 Gray) – Used for the narrow Border 1 strips and the binding. This yardage includes enough fabric for both purposes.
• 1 Cream Family Tree Panel (P9796 Cream) – The central